Page 8 - Nevada Cooperator Expo March 2019

8 THE NEVADA COOPERATOR
—MARCH 2019
NEVADACOOPERATOR.COM
EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
W
hether it’s a balcony, terrace, pa-
tio or roof deck, outdoor space
is many an apartment owner’s
dream. Desirable – and valuable – as they
are, these spaces do present specific mainte-
nance considerations for individual owners,
co-op corporations, and condo associations,
however. Oftentimes, these considerations
are complicated by the fact that without
specific knowledge of engineering and con-
struction, the signs of potential problems in
these spaces are too easily missed.
The Main Culprit
Perhaps unsurprisingly, when struc-
tural issues afflict outdoor spaces in
modern buildings, the main culprit is wa-
ter —and culprit 1A is water mixed with
salt. Water causes rust and salt can ac-
celerate the process. Whether in a cold
or warm climate, these two basic building
blocks of life can combine to erode struc-
tures. Alan Gaynor, Founding Principal
at Boddewyn Gaynor Architects in New
York City, explains: “If water gets between
concrete and brick and the structure is
not flashed properly, it will rust out the
reinforcement bars,” which are a critical
component in modern construction.
Michele Boddewyn, President of Bod-
dewyn Gaynor Architects, adds that
“snow melts, and the salt greatly reduces
the freezing temperature of water, so the
water can do additional damage.” Gaynor
adds that salt can be the biggest issue,
because it’s corrosive enough to rot steel
over time. “Amenities like balconies and
terraces are vulnerable to weather and
wind,” he says. “They don’t get used con-
tinually, so the problem can go unnoticed
for a long time.”
The unique climate extremes common
in Nevada add another dimension to what
weather can do to decks, balconies, ter-
races, and patios. “Our climate has a dra-
matic effect,” says Greg Munoz, owner of
Deck Systems, a contractor in Las Vegas.
“We use a specific product to deal with the
extremes. Most of the decks and balconies
in our area -- around 80 percent -- are
wood. Any time you have the expansion
of wood or concrete due to hot and cold
conditions, it tends to dry out the mate-
rials. UV rays are also a problem. When
we have rain, it can be very severe, three
inches in a day or two. There’s also dust.
All these things affect decks, balconies,
etc. We use a cementitious product, a po-
lymerized cement to protect the wood or
concrete. It makes materials non-porous, AKAM On-Site, a property management a roof deck, or a building where one is
so the water can’t get in. We coat the decks firm in southeast Florida, describes an added later is that most roofs are designed
with it. It also contains a UV stabilizer. incident in which a condominium owner for a certain amount of snow load based
Typically wood decks out here last three placed a hot tub on a balcony. Nice idea, on building code relative to your climate
to five years, but with this coating they but once the tub was filled with hundreds zone,” says Boddewyn. “The first big
last much longer.”
Man-Made Problems
In addition to weather, spaces such as sociation notified the resident in writing it’s very easy to exceed the load capacity
balconies, terraces, and roof decks can be that the hot tub had to be removed im-
damaged by the very people lucky enough mediately.
to have them. The biggest and most
dangerous of these man-made issues is be a subtler threat. The downstairs neigh-
overloading. Too much weight can, in bor may in fact be the ‘canary in the coal
the extreme, cause the balcony or terrace mine’ who raises the alarm when some-
to collapse. “Balconies are designed for thing is amiss overhead. Damage caused casionally arise in the management, main-
moderate to average loads,” says Bod-
dewyn. “We are familiar with a situation race, or by excessive weight, may be more
where a contractor was storing building noticeable on the ceiling of a downstairs arise in the management of amenities,”
materials on a balcony. Their weight neighbor than on the terrace itself. With says Carl Borenstein, President of Veri-
greatly exceeded what was intended for roof decks, the question may be even tas Property Management in New York
the balcony, and began to cause a prob-
lem.” The contractor had to remove the whether the deck was part of the original payroll. It requires supplies, and you are
items immediately, and fortunately no design of the property or added later.
one was injured—or worse.
Marcy Kravit, Managing Director with designed with the intention of including
of gallons of water, it was far too heavy question is to determine what the original
for the structure. The attorney for the as-
In terms of terraces, weight issues can ple. Are you working within the build-
by water infiltrating the floor of a ter-
more complicated and may depend on City. “A pool, for example, requires extra
“The big difference between a building
weight capacity for the roof was, because
when you’re adding pavers, planters with
large bushes or trees, furniture and peo-
ing’s physical capacity?”
Other Maintenance Issues
Various challenges and issues may oc-
tenance and administration of amenities.
“There are a number of challenges that
required to have board of health inspec-
Maintaining Exterior Spaces
Safety, Longevity, and Aesthetics
BY A J SIDRANSKY
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM